RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS AND STUDENT BEHAVIOR. PART I, FINAL REPORT.

WALLEN, NORMAN E.; WODTKE, KENNETH H.

PUPIL DATA, INCLUDING ACADEMIC, EMOTIONAL, AND ATTITUDINAL CHARACTERISTICS, WERE CORRELATED WITH TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS. THERE WAS A CLEAR INDICATION THAT RELATIONSHIPS DID NOT TAKE THE SAME FORM ACROSS THE FIVE GRADE LEVELS OF THE STUDY (GRADES ONE THROUGH FIVE). THE GENERAL IMPRESSION RESULTING WAS THAT THE TYPICAL FIRST GRADER, BEING SOMEWHAT UNSURE OF HIMSELF AND NEW TO THE SITUATION, IS BOTH MORE COMFORTABLE AND ACHIEVES BETTER GIVEN A SITUATION WHICH IS QUITE STRUCTURED, CONTROLLED BY THE TEACHER. AT THE SAME TIME THE TEACHER SHOULD BE RATHER SUPPORTIVE AND ENCOURAGING, BUT SHOULD DEEMPHASIZE OVERT AFFECTION. BY ABOUT THE SECOND GRADE THIS PATTERN TENDS TO CHANGE, BY THE UPPER GRADES THE GENERAL DESIRABILITY OF ENCOURAGEMENT STILL EXISTS, BUT THE EFFECT OF CONTROL SHIFTS SO THAT A GREATER DEGREE OF PERMISSIVENESS HAS THE MORE DESIRABLE EFFECTS IN TERMS OF BOTH LIKING FOR SCHOOL AND ACHIEVEMENT GAIN. AS A 4-YEAR STUDY, 65 TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS (GRADES ONE THROUGH FIVE) WERE INVOLVED. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA CONSISTED OF CORRELATIONAL AND FACTORIAL ANALYSES.